Acetylene generator and torch.



A. F. JENKINS.

AGETYLENB GENERATOR AND TORCH.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 2o, 1909.

956,358. Patented Aprlz, 1910.

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CII

ALEXANDER FREDERICK JENKINS, OF BALTIMORE', MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR T0 THE ALEXANDER MILBURN COMPANY, OF BA MARYLAND.

LTIMORE, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION F AGETYLENE GENERATOR AND TORCH.

Speecation of Letters Patent. Patented Api'. 26., 1910. Application tiled February 20, 1909. Serial No. 479,182. v

This invention relates to a portable generator and torch of that type intended more.

especially for use by contractors, builders, engineers, and the like, for carrying on operations at night or in dark places.

"he invention has for its rincipal object to provide an apparatus ofp this character which is comparatively cheap and inexpensive to manufacture, readily manipulated and cared for, and of durable and substantial desi n so as to stand rough usage in the hands o workmen.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a generator and washer combined with a novel arrangement of gas conducting pipes in which packings, screw joints and fittings are dispensed with, while at the same time leakage of gas is efectually prevented. With these objects in view and others, as will appear as the description proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of parts which will be more fully described hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 isi a vertical section of the apparatus. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views taken respectively on lines 2.-2, 3 3, and

4:-4, of Fig.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate corresponding parts .throughoutthe several views.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a water-containing tank which may be of any desired shape and Asize and within which is submerged the generator desi ated gener ally by B. The bottom 1 `o the tank is raised a suitable distance above the Hoor or ground and carries underneath the same a washer designated 4generally by C which serves to eliminate the impurities from the gas by being conducted through water that acts as a washing medium. The washer Ck comprises an inner drum or cylinder 2 that' constitutes a gas inlet chamber and an outer cylinder or casing 3 that forms an outletchamber, and the washer is supplied with water or emptied through av pipe 4 leading outwardly therefrom and through the wall of the tank, the outer end of the pipe being 50 closed by a plug or the like during normal operation.

Arranged within the tank A is a gas conducting pipe or conduit D leading from the generator B to the chamber C of the washer. e5

Part of this pipe is an inverted U-shaped structure secured to and carried by the generator, while the other part is fixed within the tank. The first part of the conduit consists of a vertical tube 5 rising from the top 7,0 of the generator to the top of the tank, a

horizontal' tube 6 connected with the tube 5 by an elbow coupling 7, and a third tube 8 connected with the outer end of the tube 6 by the elbow coupling 9, the vtube 8 being of 75 such lengthv as to extend almost to the bottom of the tank and disposed in one corner thereof. This part of the conduit D serves as a convenient handle for gripping the generator in removing or placing the same.

The xed part of the conduit consists of a vertical pipe or tube 10 which extends from the bottom of the tank to a point above the normal Water level in the latter and the vertical section or pipe 8 of the movable part 85- of the conduit telescopes over the pipe 10, the Water in the tank serving as an eective seal for preventing the escape of gas. The lower end of the pipe 10 is fastened in -a coupling rigidly secured to the bottom or other suitable art of the tank, and leading from this coup ing is a horizontal pipe 12 that terf minates at the center of the bottom of the tank and communicates with the inlet chamber 2 of thewasher by a coupling 13. On the outer cylinder or casing of the generator is a rib 1li that has a cylindrical or tubular portion 15 in which the pipe 8 snugly fits so as to serve as an anchoring means for the said pipe andthereby relieve the strain at the joint 16 between the pipe 5 and generator, should the apparatus be roughly handled by the attendant when taking out or replacin the generator for re-charging.

Arrange within the tank are L-shaped braces 17 which engage the pipe 8. at the upper end thereof for iving rigidity to the parts and the inner en s of these braces are separated 11 that is` riveted or otherwise 9o so asto permit the rib 14 on'the 1l0 generator to freely pass during removal or insertion of the latter.

The washed gas is conducted 0E through an outlet conduit E to a suitable point of consumption. In the present instance, the conduit consists of a fixed and a removable section, the latter being in the form of a burner-carrying standard or outlet pipe composed of upper and lower sections 18 and 19 connected together by a coupling 20. On the upper end of the part 18 is a valve 2l that controls the feed of gas to the burner 22 which is pivoted upwardly or downwardly, and applied to the burner is a suitable reflector 24, the burner being turned by a handle piece 25 attached to the coupling 26. The removable section of the outlet conduit is mounted so as to turn on its longitudinal axis to thereby permit the light to be thrown in any direction where it is needed for the workman. The fixed section or part of the outlet conduit is substantially similar to the fixed part of the gas conducting conduit D except that the lower end thereof communicates with the outlet chamber 3 of the Washer. The inner pipe 27 of this fixed part also extends above the normal water line in the tank and, if desired, a hose or other suitable connection can be attached to the upper end of the inner pipe by first removing the burnercarrying standard 18, as when it is desired to make an outlet extension to supply torches at remote points.

To prevent the burner-carrying section of the conduit from being accidentally displaced, a substantially4 quadrant bracket 28 1s secured to the tank at one of the upper corners thereof to embrace the said section at a point immediately above the coupling 20,-and by means of a screw 29, Fig. 2, the pipe can be forced laterall so that the coupling will engage under t e bracket and thus revent the pipe or removable section from eing lifted out.

The generator B is of the water to carbid feed type and consists of a bell or outer c linder 30 in which is disposed an inner cylinder 31 that is open at its top and closed at its bottom, and within the cylinder 31 are superimposed trays 32 that hold the calcium carbid, and this carbid is consumed or acted on by the water rising in the trays successively. Between the inner and outer cylinders is an annular water space from which` water feeds into the inner cylinder through openings 33 arranged one above another, and the flow of water through these openings depends upon the pressure of gas within the generator which acts to depress the water when the pressure is high, so that no water can be admitted to act on the carbid, and which allows the water to rise to the height of one or more of the openings when the pressure is relatively low for admitting at 23 so as to be tiltedV water to act on the carbid so that additional gas will be created to meet theI demand therefor.

In practice, the gas is generated at substantially the rate of consumption, and when the burner is lighted, the gas rises from the carbid and flows from the generator through the gas-conducting conduit D to the washer C. In the washer, the gas passes through the Water to reach the outlet conduit E through which the gas passes to the burner 22.

The lighting device or torch described herein constitutes the subject-matter of my co-pending application, Serial No. 468,952, filed December 23, 1908, in which applica# tion claims are made to the structural features of the burner, refiector and coperating parts.

From the foregoing description, taken in v connection with the accompanying drawing, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily ap parent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and .while I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention, together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

Having thus described I claim is zl. The combination of a tank, a generator therein including a bell, a Washer, a gas-conducting conduit between the generator and washer and comprising two parts removably connected, one part being mounted on the generator and removable therewith and the other part being fixed in the tank, said first part of the conduit having its receiving end communicating with the top of the bell and rising therefrom to a pomt above the water level in the tank and thence turning downwardly and telescoping over the said fixed part of the conduit, and a gas outlet conduit communicating with thel washer.

2. The combination of a water-containing tank, a generator submerged therein, a pipe connected with the top of the generator and rising therefrom out of the water in the tank and turning toward one side of the latter and thence extending downwardly into the water between the wall of the tank and generator, a fixed pipe within the tank between the wall of the latter and generator with itsupper end above the water level in the tank and over which the downwardlyextending portion of the first-mentioned pipe telescopes, and means for receiving gas from the fixed pipe.

3. The combination of a water-containing tank, a generator therein, a gas-conducting water-containing conduit consisting of two sections, one section consisting of' an inverted U-shaped pipey -of the legs being vdisposed above the water level in the tank, said section being carried bythe generator and located wholly exterior ,thereto and housed within the tank, the

other section being fixed in the tank and arranged in telescoping relation with the long leg of the first part, and means receiving gas from the said fixed part.

4. The combination of a water-containing tank, a generator-submerged therein consisting of a carbid containingcylinder open at its top and a closed-top bell assembled over the top of the bell and having an outletin its upper portion, a pipe carried wholly by the bell with the receiving end communicating with the latter through the said outlet and having one portion rising from the bell out of the water in the tank and another portion extending downwardly in the water, a second pipe fitting within the downwardlyextending portion and terminating at a point above the water level of the tank,

means for rigidly supporting the secondv pipe in place, and means for receiving gas from the second pipe.

5. The combination of a water-containing tank, a washer arranged in the bottom thereof, an upright pipe extending from the bottom of the tank to a point above the normal water level therein, a coupling fastened to the tank and to which the pipe is secured, a pipe att-ached to-the couplin and secured to the bottom of the tank and leading into the washer, a generator in the tank, and a conduit conveying gas from the generator to the first-mentioned pipe.

6. The combination of a water-containing tank, al generator submerged therein, a gasconducting conduit consisting of apart fixed within the ank and exterior to the generator and a riart carried by the generator and telescopicall'y connected with the first part and arranged to constitute a handle accessible, at the-top of the tank for removing the generator, and means receiving gas from said condult.

7. The combination of a tank, a generatorl submerged therein, a gas-conducting pipe consisting of an inverted fU-shaped part removable with the generator and a part fixed within the tank and extending above the water level therein, means for receiving gas from the said fixed part, said first-mentioned part'having its ends fastened to the outside of the generator at different points and its intermediate portion rising above the water level in the tank.

8. The combination of a generator, a gasconducting pipe located outside the genen" ator, means for connecting one end of the pipe to the generator, and a vertical rib on the outside of the genera-tor to. which is secured the other end of the said pipe.

9. The combination of a generator consisting of a bell and a carbid holding means therein, a gas-conducting pipe comprising a section connected with the bell and rising therefrom, a Second sect-ion connected with the top of the first section,- a third depending section connected with the second section and extending along the outside of the bell, and means for fastening the third section to the generator for bracing the entire plpe.

10. The combination of a generator, a gasconducting pipe comprising a section connected with the-generator and rising ytherefrom, a second section connected with the top of the first section, a third depending section connected with the Second sect-ion and extending along the outside of the generator, means for fastening the third sectlon to the generator for bracing the entire pipe, and a device on the tank for engaging the pipe to steady the generator within the tank.

11. The combination of av water-containing tank, a washer mounted under the same, pipes in the tank secured to the bottom thereof, an upwardly-extending tube fixed to and communicating with each pipe, a generator removably mounted in the tank and dis osed over the pipes, a tube communicatmg `with and carried by the generator and removably connected with one of the said tubes, and means for receiving gas from the washer through the other upwardly-extending tube.

12. The combinationof a tank, a gener-` ator therein, a fixed pipe within the tank and extending above the normal water level therein, means for conveying gas from the generator to the pipe, a second pipe telescopica'lly fitted over the fixed pipe and projecting out of the tank, a shoulder on the second pipe, a member arranged on the tank to embrace the second pipe, and a device for holding the shoulder engagedwith the mem- 13. The combination of a water-containing tank, a removable generator therein, separate pipes arranged in upright position and separately secured only at theirA lower portions to the tank, means connecting the pipes together for conducting gas from ene to the other, a gas-conducting pipe carrled by andleading out of the top of the enerator and having a downwardly exten ing portion open at its lower end to telescope over one of the upright pipes, and an outlet pipe`open at its lower end to telescope over the vother upright pipe and removable vertically therefrom and independent of the generator to permit the latter to be removed while the outlet pipe remains in position.

14. The combination of a water-containing tank, a generator mounted therein, separate pipes carried by the tank independently of the generator, the lower portions of the pipes being rigidly Secured to the tank and the upper portions being free therefrom, a washer in the tank divided into separate communicating chambers with which the pipes respectively connect for gas to pass from one pipe to the other through the washer, said pipes being located exterior to the generator, a gas conducting pipe car-.p

ried whollyT by the generator and leading from the top thereof and provided with a downwardly extending portion open at its lower end to assemble over the upper portion of one of the said pipes, and an outlet pipe disposed in upright position independently of the generator and having its lower end telescopically connected with the upper portion of the other of the said pipes.

15. The combination of a tank, a washer in the bottom thereof, a removable generator in the tank, separate upright 'pipes having their lower ortions extending under the generator and connected with the washer, means for securing the lower portions of the pipes to the tank while the upper portions are free therefrom, a gas conducting under the bottom of the pipe carried by the generator and havin a vertically disposed portion arranged to s ip over the free portion of one of the said pipes, and an outlet pipe having its lower portion loosely assembled over the free portion of the other of the said pipes.

16. The combination of a tank, a washer tank divided into a as inlet and an outlet chamber, a generator 1n the tank, a pipe arranged in upright position in the tank with its ower end connected with the inlet chamber of the washer, a pipe arranged in upright position with its lower portion rigidly secured to the tank and in communication .with the outlet chamber of the washer, a pipe communicating with the top of the generator and leading u wardly therefrom to the top of the tank an thence downwardly to the side of the generator to fit over the first-mentioned pipe, and an p outlet pipe slipped longitudinally over the second-mentioned pipe;

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER FREDERICK JENKINS. Witnesses:

A. THOMPSON, B. BLAINE. 

